The game picks up after the events of the first. Jak, Daxter, and company have returned home with the giant Precursor artifact found at the end of J&D, and are attempting to activate it. However, once activated, all present company find themselves in a distant future, in which the world has changed vastly from the present, so much so that it is nearly unrecognizable. Landing in the middle of a vast city, controlled by a new villain, Baron Praxis, Jak and Daxter find themselves separated from Samos and Keira, and Baron Praxis's forces immediately arrest Jak. And so, the story begins as Daxter spends the next two years looking for Jak in the dark dungeons of Baron Praxis's palace. During these two years, Baron Praxis experiments on Jak, injecting massive amounts of Dark Eco (yes, the same substance that transformed Daxter into his current form) into Jak, which takes its toll on his fragile body. Upon rescue, Daxter interrogates Jak incessantly, and, for the first time, Jak speaks.

And here we have the first big difference between Jak 2 and its predecessor, Jak & Daxter. For example, Jak's character is brought to life, much more so than the first game. His words, actions, and emotions portray him as a character once good, now dark and twisted, hoping for revenge against the Baron. This is a much different Jak than the first game presented, and it actually does a lot to make the sequel substantially more interesting. Overall, most players are expected to see the story through to its conculsion to determine the final outcome, if not anything else.

The overall gameplay is very reminiscent of the previous Jak adventure, featuring the same jump-and-punch configuration. However, take away the various Eco powers that the first game granted you, and throw in high-powered weapons of mass destruction. Admittedly, this game won't wow you with weapon variety like, say, Ratchet and Clank, but the weapons within the game are both well implemented and effective. The initial starting weapon, which you receive after doing a mission for one of the many NPC's in the game, is a simple scattergun. However, you receive upgrades for the base weapon, thus turning into a ranged rifle, a machine gun, and the Peacemaker, the most powerful and deadly weapon modification in the game. Other modifications include increased ammunition capacity and firing speed.

In addition to both the weapons and the standard platform gameplay fare, there are the special Dark Jak powers. All the experimenting on Jak has left him with amazing powers, brought to life by collecting Dark Eco from defeated enemies. With the simple press of a button, Jak transforms into Dark Jak - a white, devilish menace with black eyes, who is nigh invulnerable, deals massive damage to enemies, and can perform special moves, more of which can be unlocked by collecting certain items throughout the game.

Jak's missions are issued by various NPC's located throughout the city, all of which can be completed in any order. Although the selection of missions tend to be limited during any given time, each can be engaged in a non-linear fashion while still retaining the story's linear direction. There really isn't any consequence from doing one mission before the other, but the missions themselves seem to be almost contained within chapters in that you can only do two or three missions for one NPC before you have to finish the missions for the rest of the NPC's. This helps to keep the game feeling fresh, but also keeps the player on track.

The game world itself is massive and incredibly detailed, with the Baron's city being the main hub, and each "level" branching off of, or being contained within the hub. Travel within the hub is not limited to simple walking or running, however. Naughty Dog has included one of the coolest features to ever be implemented in a platformer - the ability to jack any vehicle you see. Yes, I know, some of you are thinking this is a Grand Theft Auto rip off, but it's really done very well. Every vehicle has a unique control type, whether it be the slow, sluggish hover cars that can take hits like a cement wall, or the fast, nimble hover bikes that blow up when you so much as tap an obstacle. Even the Baron's police have vehicles that can be jacked, which have both high defense and speed, and the addition of weapons. Also, while using any jacked vehicle, you still have the use of your guns, which helps on a number of missions throughout the game. In addition to the vehicles, Jak earns a hover board from Keira later in the game, which not only helps you get around the city, but can also be used in the other levels outside of the main hub.

Graphically, Jak 2 is a masterpiece, with the only exception being some bland texture work within the city hub itself, and a few nooks and crannies throughout the levels. There are the occasional pop ups, but Naughty Dog has modified the previous game engine, and designed the game so that nearly every place loads before you get to it. Anything that can be animated is, and the city is crowded with traffic and people walking the streets. Smoke billows from piping, water spills from leaky pipes, sparks fly from metal on metal contact - it's all here. Particle effects and explosions are also fantastic, which is on par for a game containing as many things to blow up as Jak 2 does. The character models are amazing, a huge leap from the previous game's. Both Jak and Daxter, as well as other characters like Keira and Samos, have much more detailed bodies and faces, making for some incredibly entertaining cut scenes and well delivered lines.

Speaking of which, the sound is also well done. While none of the music is especially memorable, and I never really found myself humming along with any song in the game, it still fits the mood well, and never really detracts from the game. What really shines is the voice acting, which seems to be one of the most polished features in the game. Jak plays his dark, moody role perfectly, and Daxter provides all the comic relief you'd expect. I laughed more out loud during this game compared to any of the recent Disney movies combined. Other NPC voices are done well, and pedestrians will have things to say if you happen to run into them with your hover board or steal their car. Explosions, gunfire, and other various sound effects are all there, and while they won't win any awards, they are adequate and get the job done.

As far as game length goes, this one will take any player awhile to complete fully. The actual game itself, as far as the story goes, can be completed in just over ten hours, but there are many extras to keep the player busy. Mini-games, such as hover bike racing, turret blasting sequences, and even some giant mech action, keep the game from being monotonous, and often have a direct effect on the continuation of the storyline. Also, the Precursor orbs from the first game are back, but in short supply. Collecting these orbs, of which there are 200 in total, open up many cheat codes and features, including invincibility, unlimited ammunition, and even a cut scene player for each chapter in the game. Without a doubt, diligent players are certain to be looking throughly for these orbs for hours just to enable some of the cooler features in the game.

In conclusion, Jak 2 is an amazing platforming experience, one that fans of the genre should definitely not miss. There isn't any multiplayer mode to speak of, but in a platformer, you really don't need one. Players of all ages should be able to get into this game. Whether you're a younger gamer and play it for the characters and storyline, or if you're an older gamer and you're looking for a challenging platformer that'll keep you busy for weeks, this is your game. Naughty Dog has made a platformer that all other platformers will be measured up to, and with the progress they're making, Jak 3 might be giving the mighty Mario a run for its money.

· · · Mike Covington